Twenty-two acres of forest waste from a speculative-grading project is ready to be burned. This project is a 22-acre speculative-grading project that will leave about 10 acres usable, with the remaining acreage in man-made steep slopes. The forest has been basically cleared down to the flour-dry dirt. All organic matter has been pushed into piles […]
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Whose domain are we discussing?
The city of Asheville and Buncombe County are no strangers to the use of eminent domain. As you reported [“A House Divided: Community at Odds over Downtown Master Plan,” Aug. 6], the city’s African-American community is well aware that “[ i ]n the 1970s, hundreds of buildings around the Southside Avenue and Valley Street (now […]
Ego versus cause
About being taken seriously in your cause—I, like many Ashevilleans, share many common concerns on many social and developmental issues. The problem as I have seen it for a long time is in the way people present these ideas/concerns. While most people have no opposition to protest, if the people at the heart of these […]
Obama’s surprising boost for FISA
With the passage of a reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in the Senate, it seems as if Obama is finally OK with warrantless wiretaps. With the civil liberties of Americans allegedly being shredded with every tapped phone call, his vote is quite unnerving. But this vote could sway independents and centrist Democrats. … […]
The Montford Park Players
Belve Marks as Benedick and Mickey Hanley as Beatrice in the Montford Park Players’ 2007 production of Much Ado About Nothing The Montford Park Players is North Carolina’s longest running Shakespeare festival. It has grown for the past 36 years due to its entertaining and educational quality productions of Shakespeare and other great playwrights, its […]
Moody Blues
The duo Arms and Sleepers claims that it began in the back of an ambulance. As the story goes, the ambulance came upon a dying man in an alley holding a tape player and playing a cassette of a gospel choir. A live jazz band played down the street. As the man died, the cassette […]
Best in show
As festival season comes to a close and the dog days of summer bark louder, the music calendar empties out for a spell. The chance of catching one of those life-changing, booze-fueled rock n’ roll shows you’ll talk about for months grows fewer and further between. Those about to (locally) rock: Asheville’s tHE POLES, who […]
Reflections on a Fragile Earth
Much of “Fragile Earth: Reflections on the Environment” deals with the beauty and mystery of nature, along with the peril of environmental destruction. The exhibit runs through Aug. 16 at Western Carolina University’s Fine Art Museum. Charlene Collins Haug won Best of Show for her monoprint screenprint, “Fragile Earth: Bubble People.” As development encroaches on […]
Montford memories I
It wasn’t until the new neighbor showed up on our front porch and announced that he was starting a fledgling bookie operation in the basement of his place across the street that we realized we weren’t in Kansas anymore, Toto. He said he intended to run a quiet operation and hoped we would not be […]
The Dirt: The garden in August
Sentiment has no place in my August garden. It’s hot. I’m hot, and the garden is a weedy mess. Battered, drought-weary and bug-eaten, the perennials are still duking it out for dominance. The annuals have quarter-size holes in their leaves, compliments of some unknown critter, and the flowers look as though someone had played “He […]
Outdoors: Ever new
A river doesn’t stay the same from year to year—or even day to day. Still, my first memories of Big Laurel Creek linger like snapshots: big rocks, rushing water, deep pools, gray cliffs, sunlit trees, moss and ferns in damp, dappled shade. Just jump!: Madison County teens know where the best plunges are. Photo By […]
Smart growth or faux history?
In reading the recent Mountain Xpress article highlighting the Five Points Village development [“Broadway Doubles Down,” July 30], I was disappointed to see the demolition of the historic “Pink House” described as being a good thing for the community. The Pink House was actually called the Broadway Market Building and was listed on the National […]
Pink tears
I have to admit, I cried a little bit when I saw that the Pink House was gone. After reading the article about the development on Broadway [“Broadway Doubles Down,” July 30] and before writing this letter, I took a little field trip down to my old neighborhood and saw for myself that it was […]
Holistic help for veterans
I appreciate Stephen Snow’s article about PTSD [“Males, War and PTSD,” July 30]. Amy Goodman from Democracy Now has commented on how many veterans needing care for PTSD are just not getting the help they need. The list of services that veterans can turn to, posted at the end of the article, was comprehensive—yet it […]
Sharing the bad air
“Do as I say, not as I do” might as well be the words of the state of North Carolina to the Tennessee Valley Authority when it comes to air quality and power-plant pollution. While hearings were held in Asheville between N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper and the Tenn.-based utility company, Charlotte-based Duke Energy was […]
Put workforce housing by the park
After attending a news conference held Thursday by opponents of the Parkside condominiums, it occurred to me that there’s an easy way for developer Stewart Coleman to come out of this mess as a hero—or at least salvage a shred of respectability. Considering the miniscule amount he paid for the land and the Hayes-Hopson building, […]
SoundTrack
A word of advice: Don’t go see Johnny’s Inhaler (or any other group that specializes in playing heartbreakingly soulful old love songs) on the eve of your birthday if you’re all alone with no love prospects in sight. I made that mistake on a recent visit to the French Broad Brewery, and wasn’t prepared for […]
Weekly Asheville Disclaimer Page: 08/13/08
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In passing
I walked down to Montford Park this morning, as I do most mornings, to read, meditate and journal. As the park came into view, I saw a beautiful 60-foot pine tree that had lain down on the tennis courts. Ironically, I have sat on the [nearby] bench and admired the beauty of her and wondered […]
Taking a chance on Asheville
Chris Hayes, in his letter [“What If They Don’t Come?”, July 30], asserts that he doesn’t “see the demand for so much expansion in Asheville … we need to slow down and hopefully prevent Asheville from having unsold building, unused housing, unrented retail space and empty hotels.” I guess it’s an improvement over the evil-developer […]
May the force be with someone else
If you live, work or spend time downtown you will notice that stories of violent acts committed in the area may be reaching all-time high. It is very alarming to hear the stories of hate crimes committed in a so-called “diverse” town. If you have not heard about someone getting assaulted or robbed downtown in […]